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AndyChan3 - PeerSpot reviewer
General manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 10
Jan 28, 2021
Good detect rate with a small number of false positives, and support resolves issues quickly
Pros and Cons
  • "The detection rate is good and the false positive rate is low."
  • "They should speed up the incident response and also, at the same time, reduce the amount of manual effort that is required."

What is our primary use case?

We used this product as a SIEM, for information security.

How has it helped my organization?

This product collects all of the system logs and analyzes them to see if there are any security threats, or there have been any attacks. If there are, then it will alert the administrator to take the appropriate actions.

What is most valuable?

The detection rate is good and the false positive rate is low. Having a low false-positive rate is good because it means that if an alert happens then it is very likely a real attack.

QRadar is quite flexible. Out of ten, I would rate flexibility a nine.

What needs improvement?

They should speed up the incident response and also, at the same time, reduce the amount of manual effort that is required.

A nice enhancement would be the incorporation of more artificial intelligence and machine learning capabilities.

Buyer's Guide
IBM Security QRadar
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about IBM Security QRadar. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used IBM QRadar for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. We have had the occasional bug or other issue but once we report it to IBM, they give us a resolution quite quickly.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is quick to resolve issues.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We developed our own application to use as a SIEM, but we switched to QRadar.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is complex and the deployment takes approximately three months.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It would be great if this product were cheaper.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did evaluate other options before selecting this product.

What other advice do I have?

Within the past year, IBM developed a SaaS version of QRadar, which is a nice option.

My advice for anybody who is considering this solution is to implement the latest IBM offerings together. QRadar is just one of the products, and multiple products can be combined to create the best solution for their needs.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Md Saiful Hyder - PeerSpot reviewer
AGM, Enterprise Solutions at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
MSP
Jan 26, 2021
Flexible and scalable with good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "This is a distributed application, meaning that a customer can stack small and then scale it so that they can expand pretty effectively. You can use, basically, the same product in an SMB or a large enterprise."
  • "Right now, if you look at the compatibility, if you need to deploy QRadar in a physical appliance you have only two choices of server, their own or a Lenovo server. In today's world, you cannot keep something tied to such a big brand. Clients want to be able to use whatever type of server they want."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for some compliance, including military compliance such as PCIDSL, ISO 27001, and ISO 27002, and then some other specifications around them. There are also some industries that need to analyze the log and events, and then build and create some rules to put forward.

What is most valuable?

The solution has very good Watson Analyzer integration. It's one of the key differentiators if you compare it to other solutions. 

The solution offers very good BSM support. There's 400 BSM support out of the box. That's a huge advantage. with it, you are actually adding almost all the devices that are available in an IT environment.

This is a distributed application, meaning that a customer can stack small and then scale it so that they can expand pretty effectively. You can use, basically, the same product in an SMB or a large enterprise. 

You can deploy the solution and leave it. It's very unfussy.

When it comes to deployment, it's very flexible.

What needs improvement?

Right now, if you look at the compatibility, if you need to deploy QRadar in a physical appliance you have only two choices of server, their own or a Lenovo server. In today's world, you cannot keep something tied to such a big brand. Clients want to be able to use whatever type of server they want. It's very limiting for many. You need that flexibility to deploy on any Intel platform.

IBM doesn't have people in every corner of the world. Oracle, for example, is actively training and certifying people so that companies will have access to local connections. IBM is lacking this, and therefore it can be difficult to get qualified support when a customer needs it. They should try to replicate the Oracle approach to training and certifications.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for the last three years or so. It's been a while.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. It's reliable. You don't need to worry about bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's pretty much a set and forget kind of setup.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales well. It's stackable, which means you can start small if you want and then just stack more and more. It's perfect for any size of organization, from small to large.

We have sold this solution to six organizations, however, as a whole, we have around 10 customers in Bangladesh. Their sizes vary.

How are customer service and technical support?

In terms of some of the IBM support we recently have received, we've had some issues. While it should be 24/7 support, sometimes we have to wait an extended period. Our customers have had to wait an extended amount of time - in some case like two or three months. Some support we used to get was from the US team and they were good. However, support from elsewhere isn't really that great, and certainly not up to their level of service.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complex at all. It's very straightforward.

Since it is coming with a predefined image, anybody can actually deploy this on a VM or ia physical appliance. The deployment is flexible.

A control installation takes four to five hours to initialize the console. After that, deployment is dependant on the customer requirements. However, simply initializing the appliance takes two to four hours depending on the allocated resources, therefore, it's quite quick.

What about the implementation team?

From a product perspective, we have three persons in the product team. However, in the deployment and support team, we have five people. We tend to sell and help implement this product to our customers.

What other advice do I have?

We're using the latest version of the solution.

We are a reseller. We're selling the solution to end customers.

Whenever there is a requirement, a security requirement, or an AFM requirement, we actually position IBM QRadar. We proactively promote the solution and the market, so that we can build a community around QRadar. We're trying to build a community around QRadar so that we can increase sales. We need to have local resources to promote the products. Therefore, we are trying to double up that community of QRadar users. We're doing knowledge sharing among our network. We're changing information so that we can have a knowledge-based group so that we can promote the product to more customers.

While I'd recommend the solution, I'd caution that, for any IBM product other than hardware, the local resources are not that great as they are not often available. I can see why some customers are afraid to add this product. It's different from, for example, Oracle, which is doing product training everywhere and is actively certifying people. 

Overall, aside from support issues, we've been happy with the solution. I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
IBM Security QRadar
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about IBM Security QRadar. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,757 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1477878 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of Information Security at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Jan 14, 2021
Scalable with good searching capabilities and good support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the searching capability and real-time operational use."
  • "Some of the cloud apps need improvement."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of this solution is for monitoring an enterprise data center, globally for 12,000 devices.

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved the way that the organization functions.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the searching capability and real-time operational use.

What needs improvement?

Some of the cloud apps need improvement.

In the next release, I would like to see improving the stability of some of the add-on applications.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM QRadar for two years.

We are using the current version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is moderate.

We have 15 people using this solution in our organization. Their positions vary from Network Engineers, Security Engineers, and Security Analysts.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's very scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is good.

I would rate them a nine out of ten. Their response time is good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, I did not use another solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is complex. It's just the nature of the CM tool.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I think that the price is fair, but we can always say that the price could be cheaper.

What other advice do I have?

Like any complex enterprise CM tool, you have to have a strong support organization. People who are good at understanding Linux operating systems. You also need a strong technical support team in-house.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Ingénieur d'étude R&D at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Dec 19, 2020
Easy to use, helps increase development speed and is stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is relatively easy to use."
  • "The pricing of the solution is a bit high. If they could lower it, that would be ideal."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution to develop software, for some device controllers.

What is most valuable?

The solution is relatively easy to use.

The product helps increase development speed.

The customization is very good, as are the dashboards and the security.

What needs improvement?

I'm not sure if there are any features missing from the solution. It's pretty complete.

The pricing of the solution is a bit high. If they could lower it, that would be ideal.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for three years or so at this point. It hasn't been too long.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable. It doesn't have bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash on me or freeze. It's reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I only really use the solution myself. I can't speak to the scalability of the solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've never had to reach out to technical support. I can't speak to their responsiveness or knowledgeability.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not complex at all. It's pretty straightforward and simple. We didn't face any real issues during the deployment process.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price can be expensive, however, it's all relative, as it helps speed up development, which can save money for the organization. 

The payments for the product are made on a yearly basis.

What other advice do I have?

I'm using the latest version of the solution. I'm the only user and I use the desktop version of the solution. I'm basically using it because it's here and I have access to it.

I would recommend the solution to other organizations, however, if it is right for them depends on their need.

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I'd rate the product at an eight. We've mostly been pretty satisfied with it.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Founder at a university with 11-50 employees
Real User
Dec 17, 2020
A stable, scalable, and easy-to-use solution that lets you view users' activities
Pros and Cons
  • "The UBA feature is the most valuable because you can see everything about users' activities."
  • "The threat intelligence functionality can be better. In addition, it can have more monitoring capabilities."

What is most valuable?

The UBA feature is the most valuable because you can see everything about users' activities. 

What needs improvement?

The threat intelligence functionality can be better. In addition, it can have more monitoring capabilities.

For how long have I used the solution?

I started to use it two to three years ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Its stability is very good. I don't have any problem with it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It has good scalability. It is easy to scale, but it is a little bit expensive to scale because you have to pay a lot for everything.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have also used Kibana. It is a good tool. The biggest difference between Kibana and QRadar is that Kibana is an open-source SIEM integration solution. So, you need more professionals, and you have to do everything by yourself, whereas in the case of QRadar, you get everything. You are paying not only for QRadar but also for other things like support and integration. In an open-source SIEM integration solution like KIbana, you don't get these things.

How was the initial setup?

It is an easy tool for me, so the initial setup was easy for me, but it might not be easy for everyone. If you compare it with Kibana, QRadar is easier to implement.

The implementation strategy was to follow the users, collect the logs, and then implement QRadar.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented it ourselves.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Its price is good in terms of efficiency and the number of people required for implementing various things. You might pay more in terms of money, but you might save on the number of people. For example, if you are using Kibana, you have to pay more for people or experts, which is not the case with IBM QRadar.

What other advice do I have?

When you go for this solution, you are paying not only for the product but also for integration, good staff to help you, scalability, and many other things. There are many things that you can use in QRadar. It is easy to use.

I would rate IBM QRadar a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1349439 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Security Analyst at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Dec 14, 2020
Helps us monitor and generate statistics that help to illustrate what is going on in the company
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found its network traffic log, network bit log, and QBI most valuable."
  • "We need more features in order to create rules to detect or to meet some requirements for other areas, for example, catching the event from other authentication tools."

What is our primary use case?

We have a lot of use cases with IBM QRadar, but our primary use is for monitoring traffic and detecting tricks.

How has it helped my organization?

In terms of how IBM QRadar has improved our company, on peak days it helps us monitor and generate statistics that help to illustrate what is going on in the company. For example, SMB detects ransomware and invalid log-on. If a user is located in the United States, or we expect a login in Russia, or Ukraine, or Kenya, it is very important for us because we can detect what application they are using there, or if a hacker is trying to log in by mobile or another device.

What is most valuable?

I have found its network traffic log, network bit log, and QBI most valuable.

We have a lot of domain controllers in QRadar tracking all the security. It is also useful for identity management.

What needs improvement?

In terms of where it could be improved, this includes its forensics, incident response, and security operation center features. Additionally, some also struggle with the rules. We need more features in order to create rules to detect or to meet some requirements for other areas, such as catching the event from other authentication tools, like in Okta, for example.

In some cases, I have issues because some tools are not integrated in QRadar, such as other tools similar to DLP (Data Loss Prevention). We need to create all the integrations manually because they are not integrated in QRadar. We have a problem, for example, because they have Symantec DLP integrated in QRadar, however, it is not working because it's not detected automatically. It is not converting all the columns, but we do have the option to create manually. This is not difficult because it's very clear in the procedures.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM QRadar for seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

QRadar's stability is great because it is always live and is always catching and monitoring all the information that we need. When we need information, it is here in QRadar. 

In terms of maintenance of QRadar, my internet is secured by IBM.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For me, the scalability is good.

At the moment, we have no more than 15 people working on QRadar. This includes analysts, forensics, internet response, and active directory.

How are customer service and technical support?

Tech support is good. Additionally, I can find all the information at IBM.

How was the initial setup?

In some cases, the system or the hardware do not meet the requirements to install one flow collector. Or the menu is not displayed. The menu has 10 options. If the CPU and memory are not enough, the menu shows only five or six options. But this information is not mentioned in the installation process. But it is not complex because the installation is very clear as long as we are meeting all the requirements for the CPU, memory, or the space.

The solution takes maybe four months because we have a lot of integrations.

What other advice do I have?

I would absolutely recommend QRadar because it has a lot of options to improve or detect some information.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give QRadar a 10.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
CEO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Dec 6, 2020
Easy to install and use, but the GUI and reporting features need to be improved
Pros and Cons
  • "It has very rich functionality."
  • "QRadar needs to be more specialized, along the lines of what other SIEM solutions are."

What is our primary use case?

We use QRadar to detect and gather information about any product vulnerabilities and any sort of attack on the network. It's able to help detect suspicious activity that is coming into the system.

We are also selling this product.

What is most valuable?

This product is easy to install, integrate, and use.

It has very rich functionality.

What needs improvement?

QRadar needs to be more specialized, along the lines of what other SIEM solutions are. It needs to be more detailed.

Incorporating an AI component is needed, where the learning feature identifies malicious activities coming into the network.

The GUI and reporting need to be improved.

The footprint needs to be optimized because the application footprint is too heavy. The machine requires a very high amount of resources.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with IBM QRadar for between three and four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

QRadar is a scalable solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is very good.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I feel that the price is reasonable but compared to other products that are on the market, such as an offering by Microsoft, it is more expensive.

What other advice do I have?

This is a good product but there is room for improvement in several areas, including the integration of advanced data mining.

I would rate this solution a six out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner
PeerSpot user
it_user1369023 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager Information Security at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Dec 1, 2020
A user-friendly, stable, and solid product with internal AI and good scalability
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a pretty solid product for the type that it is representing. It is a CM solution as compared to Splunk or ArcSight from HP. It is also user friendly. It comes with some internal AI as well, in which it automatically maps multiple lots from unrelated devices and makes a smart decision to link them back and create an offense based on that. It is a smart tool."
  • "A lot of information that we receive for the devices is IP-based, but it would help if we could have a default dashboard in which we can add more details about the assets for which we are receiving the information. For example, if it is a Windows or Linux device, we only get the IP for that particular device. We don't really get the name and other details of that particular device. For that, you have to drill down into your own asset management system. It would be good to have a place where we can probably add this information so that we don't have to look into other tools."

What is our primary use case?

We are using it from the compliance perspective. We need this solution to comply with HIPAA and PCI because our clients require HIPAA and PCI DSS compliance. We also use it for log management, primarily security logs, and to some extent, for operational activities, even though this tool is actually not meant for operational tasks. We do keep track of errors in our appliances like hardware, storage, and network switches through QRadar.

The main or core solution is on-premises. There is an extended arm, which is in the cloud as well for cloud integration.

How has it helped my organization?

Security incident and event management are actually the core functionalities of this solution. We receive security logs on this product and based on the received logs, we can create offense tickets that are forwarded to Netcool, which is another solution that we have. I don't have experience with that, but our integration is there so that any offense or security event is forwarded to Netcool, and a ticket is automatically generated in ServiceNow for that offense. This level of automation that we have for security-related events is done through this solution. There's no manual work involved, which obviously takes away a lot of load from the individuals who are managing the security side of it.

What is most valuable?

It is a pretty solid product for the type that it is representing i.e. SIEM. It can do automatic correlation based on the traffic that you are receiving to some extent. It has plethora of options available for third party application integration. For e.g CISCO Firepower, Palo Alto Dashboard for CISCO and Palo Alto Firewall respectively. Integration with Cloud based Log Sources is also supported via. parsers that support API Connect. This is helpful when pulling in Logs from AWS, Azure, GCP or other Cloud Based Solution like Carbon Black, Imperva etc.

What needs improvement?

A lot of information that we receive for the devices is IP-based, but it would help if we could have a default dashboard in which we can add more details about the assets for which we are receiving the information. For example, if it is a Windows or Linux device, we only get the IP for that particular device. We don't really get the name and other details of that particular device. For that, you have to drill down into your own asset management system. It would be good to have a place where we can probably add this information so that we don't have to look into other tools.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for about six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. As long as you have the proper connectivity availability, it is pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Our deployment covers North America, South America and part of Europe. The product is easy to deploy and scale. Almost everyone in our organization is using this solution because most of our projects rely on this. Because of the compliance requirement, most of our projects have to be integrated with QRadar. Each business unit or each program that we have in another environment has independent access to the solutions. They might not be the end users, of course, but at least every admin team of every program unit has access to this tool so that they can see what's happening in their environment.

It also supports multi-tenancy. So, if you have multiple clients or multiple tenants in your environment, you can create logical containers for them. From a logical point of view, you can create separate disconnected containers for each client so that they can only see their data.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support is quite good. I would rate them a nine out of ten.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Yes, we switched over from NNT to QRardar. This product is more detailed. Expensive but definitely more detailed! :)

How was the initial setup?

It was pretty straightforward. These are hardware appliances. So, you need to rack and stack them. If the rack space, cabling, and other things are already done, which would typically be the responsibility of a data center team, it essentially takes three to five days. But this is only the core deployment. The fine tuning on top of it would take extra time based on the environment and how complex it is.

What about the implementation team?

It was implemented by team that included me. We have an external team for its maintenance.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The IBM QRadar Licensing for the core Events(EPS) and Flows(FPS) is per second based. The licensing is perpetual and surely expensive but the output of the Product makes it worth your money. 

What other advice do I have?

I would absolutely recommend this solution. I am pretty okay with it, and I don't have any issues with it. It has some competitors like Splunk and LogRhythm. Symantec has its own SIEM solution. ArcSight, LogRhythm, and Splunk are in the first quadrant for the Gartner research. They are leaders in their products, and they know what they're doing. It also comes down to what your company is into, how does it fit into a particular environment, and how compatible it is with a particular environment. I could have gone on the Splunk path and probably said the same thing for it as well. 

I would rate IBM QRadar a nine out of ten. It is a pretty solid product.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free IBM Security QRadar Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free IBM Security QRadar Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.